Chaos Cursed: Crisis Core
by ShadowedHearts
Summary: Part One of Chaos Cursed. Sephiroth discovers that he is a triplet - but will the world into which he has brought them be worse than the stasis they were in?
1. Chapter 1

"_The greatest of all gifts, is given by the Goddess in person, in pursuit of such a gift we set on our journey, to find that place in our heart, where that one faint wave resides._" The voice drew their focus, their minds traveling through miles of space in moments, thanks to the uplink of this lab to the rest of ShinRa, Inc.'s systems.

As they reached it, both gasped as they emerged in a nearly physical form. Due to lack of physical awareness, these forms flickered slightly, obviously generated by the simulation room under their influence. It had taken them more time to build these forms than to reach the system, but due to certain protocol, they hadn't known what was happening within, until two sets of eyes, one a deep mahogany, the other the same mahogany laced with blue, opened upon the scene before them.

Their brother, their hero, was in the midst of a battle with another, on whom they had no real information - not even they could break the encryptions surrounding his information.

As Sephiroth drove forward, his sword brought up for what could have been an ending blow, his gaze was drawn beyond Genesis to a point just above and behind him. Two women stood side by side, barely into adulthood. Pale white skin glowed faintly in the light of the sun, white dresses shifting faintly in the wind. Their eyes were upon him, shaded by long black locks that were tugged by the wind into a state of disarray.

He froze as that image flickered a few times, and in so doing drove his mind to see something else. Two year old girls, hands clasped tight together, eyes closed, yet projecting a plead for him to save them. His eyes narrowed slightly, and as the building began to explode behind them, he even flinched - as Angeal caught his blade and that of Genesis, the two flickered once more, then disappeared as the debris from the explosion flew through where they had been standing.

As the simulation shut down, Sephiroth's gaze was distant, as though looking into his own past - Angeal was certain he was. It was a memory Sephiroth knew he had avoided since he was young, when it had happened, but the sight of the girls had brought it back in full force.

* * *

"_Do you see those girls, Sephiroth?" The voice of the scientist, who Sephiroth was certain was not only inept but insane, was gleeful as he pointed to the two little girls who floated in a capsule of mako, each gripping the other's hand. Long black hair floated behind them, and their eyes were hidden behind long-lashed lids. They slept, Sephiroth could tell from the displays on either side of the capsule, which revealed their vital signs. "Well? Do you?!" _

_"Yes. Why are you showing them to me?" Sephiroth felt slightly ill at the sight of them, as though trapped in their own dreams. When he spoke, their vitals changed ever so slightly, as though they had heard him. Hojo, fortunately, took no notice of this as he cackled, rubbing his hands together. _

_"Those are - or should I say, were? - your sisters. Failed experiments who will sleep forever…one of the scientists involved in their creation managed to save them and put them in this stasis…they were created in the same time as you, Sephiroth…" _

_"But why do they look so much younger, then!?" _

_"They were held back from growth for six years, so that their bodies could recover from the damages done shortly after their creation…yes…they shall sleep, and should they wake…" The crazed man gestured to the panel that had once been programmed to release them on their awakening, now utterly destroyed. "…they will die, as all useless failures must! The moment they wake, the capsules will cease to provide them with oxygen, and they will suffocate!"_

* * *

Angeal grabbed Sephiroth as his fists clenched, the man beginning to growl in uncontrollable rage. The touch snapped him out of the memory, his emotions quickly controlled again before he managed to accidentally lash out at Angeal. The intent look his friend gave him revealed that he would not be given the option of maintaining his silence.

"Sephiroth, what's going on?" Angeal demanded to know. A wry smile as he was proven correct, Sephiroth pulled away from his friends and moved toward the door of the training room. "Sephiroth! Tell us what has happened!"

"…My sisters are alive…" Though his voice was grave, the arch of Genesis's brow was a sure sign the situation's gravity would soon be dispelled.

"Sisters?" Angeal looked confused. "What sisters, Sephiroth?"

"Since when do you have sisters?" Genesis demanded, breaking out in a smirk as he looked to his rival. "Actually, better question. Are your sisters beautiful?"

"…whether they are or not, you're not getting within arm's reach of either one of them, from the look he just gave you." Angeal chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Come on, he might need our help."

"If either of you touch either of my sisters and I will rip your arm off and shove it so far up your-" Genesis and Angeal were suddenly glad they had lagged behind a bit, as the door closed behind Sephiroth and cut off the last few words of his threat.


	2. Chapter 2

"Man…this place is trashed…" Genesis commented, as they made their way through the creepy hallways of the old lab, doors broken, windows shattered, consoles ripped out of the walls. It wouldn't have been so bad, but for the florescent lighting flickering once in a while, sometimes going out completely and leaving them in full darkness, but for the flashlights each held. "What the hell happened, Sephiroth?"

"It was abandoned fifteen years ago, when ShinRa built a new lab. After that, nature and vagabonds took their toll on the place." He said calmly, sword slicing easily through one of the wild animals that had taken up residence and attacked the intruders.

"So what makes you think they're still here?" Angeal questioned, sighing as the lights came back on. It would make it infinitely easier to keep from being ambushed if they could see properly, and the lighting behaving as it did was not helpful.

"They were considered failures, so they are highly unlikely to have been worth the trouble of moving - fact aside, if the way Hojo refused to get near them was any indication, they are heavily protected." The large metal door that had once sealed the room in which he had first set eyes on his sisters was battered, torn in a few places, as though something had been trying to get in and failed. Sephiroth frowned slightly, and when the door did not open as it was meant to, he merely forced it open, anger giving him the strength to do so with ease.

As Genesis and Angeal stepped into the dark room behind Sephiroth, they blinked. There were no lights on, yet the room glowed. Gazes moving to the source, both were struck dumb by the sight before them. Identical women floated in mako, their heads bowed as though in sleep, their closed eyes revealing this to be the truth. Long black hair covered their breasts enough for it to be decent, and the positioning of their free arms allowed them to hide more private areas. Still, they held hands, and as the two men stared, and Sephiroth stepped forward, they saw one hand suddenly spasm, squeezing the other, and two pairs of eyes shot open. One were a deep blood red, the other blood red laced with mako green; as the red-eyed girl made as though to gasp, she panicked.

"…So he was right…as long as they slept, the machines kept them with oxygen so they did not need to breathe…" Sephiroth seemed more curious than worried, and as Angeal and Genesis looked to him in horror at his calm tone, the woman with the mako-laced eyes let go of her sister's hand to slam a fist into the glass encasing her.

"Sephiroth! We have to get that capsule open!" Angeal snapped, rushing to the control panel, only to find a mass of charred, frayed wires awaiting him. Genesis moved to see if there was a manual release, only for both to freeze as Masamune was drawn.

"What the hell are you doing?! They're your sisters, Sephiroth!" Genesis snapped, but though he ran to intercept the blow, all he succeeded in doing was getting thoroughly drenched with blood-tainted mako, raising his hands to shield his face from the flying shards of glass. A turn of the Masamune caught both girls with the flat of the blade, both heaving the water from their lungs. The moment she had done so, the red-eyed woman gasped and staggered back to kneel gracefully, looking up at Sephiroth with a mixture of horror and awe.

The one with eyes tainted mako green, however, raised her bloodied hand to grasp his blade, head snapping up so her eyes met those of her brother, a low growl heard from her throat as the red began to take over the taint in her eyes. Her delicate fingers wrapped around the blade, as she smirked slightly, and spoke.

"Go ahead…I dare you…" A soft chuckle, as Sephiroth did not move the blade, before she shoved Masamune away from her, collapsing onto the cold metal floor of the lab, shards of glass cutting into her body. While this might have gone unnoticed, when more blood began to taint the mako on the floor, and not from her bloody fist, the truth was obvious to all present. Sephiroth stepped forward to lift her, only to watch as she forced herself to a kneeling position, slapping his hand away.

"I'm fine. Sanura needs the help more than I." As she gestured over her shoulder to her twin sister, she blinked at the horrified look in her sister's eyes, and the way the girl was attempting to shield her body as though someone were staring. "Sanura, what is it?"

"…Seraphina…make them stop staring at us…" As eyes that had just returned to their natural mixture of red and blue suddenly turned blood red again, a feral growl could be heard emanating from her throat as she gazed upon Angeal, who had not even realized he was gaping openly at Sanura. Sephiroth, seeing this, shot both Angeal and Genesis a glare. Angeal had the grace to jump, blush, and turn away very quickly as Sephiroth's coat settled around Sanura's shoulders. Seraphina, having no such inhibition, pushed herself to her feet, glancing back as Sephiroth picked up her sister.

"…we're safe now…right, Seraphina?" She nodded in response to the quiet voice from the folds of Sephiroth's coat, not seeming to notice the glass cutting into her feet as she stepped forward towards the door, nor the obvious weakness of her limbs. Genesis scowled as Angeal simply lead the way, with Sephiroth following behind. Neither had noticed the other sister's trembling from the cold air on her wet flesh, nor the fact that she was near to fainting. She had paused only long enough to pull five shards of glass from her abdomen, and three from each of her feet, before moving forward not far behind them.

"…idiot." He muttered, sliding out of his coat to throw it around her shoulders, before lifting her into his arms. "…don't kill yourself when we just saved you."

"I will be fine." She hissed, but at the arched brow he gave her in return, she fell quiet, looking away. By the time they had exited the lab, Genesis glanced down to find her fast asleep in his arms, one hand grasping his shirt tightly, as though seeking his protection.

"…you are safe now…Seraphina." His voice was almost a whisper as he settled her into the back seat of the van they had brought from Junon, next to her sister. His hand moving to brush the hair back from her eyes, his eyes hardened slightly. "…I promise."

"Quit groping my sister already, dammit!" Sephiroth snapped, glaring at him in the rearview mirror. "You did what you were supposed to, now sit down and keep your damn hands to yourself!"

"…yes Mother." Genesis snickered, pulling the door closed behind him as he slid into the middle seat, Angeal laughing from the front passenger side.

"You are starting to sound like a mother hen, Sephiroth."

"Shut the hell up, or you're next as soon I finish killing him!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Angeal?" Sanura's voice was quiet, as she stood in the doorway of the dining room, biting her lip. "…is it okay?"

"It's excellent. How did you learn to cook, Sanura?" His voice was curious, as he rose and gathered the plates from the table. Sephiroth had kidnapped the other twin for the evening, and Genesis had simply invited himself along - much to Sephiroth's annoyance - leaving Angeal and Sanura alone for a few hours. Sanura, of course, had offered to make dinner for him, and he had accepted.

"The capsule in which my sister and I were held in for the majority of our lives was highly advanced…it tapped into our neural systems and allowed us to perform synaptic net dives with relative ease. This allowed us to receive a regular education at an advanced rate, as well as to keep up with the news in the outside world." A soft laugh. "My sister has always been better at it than I, she'd been manipulating the ShinRa network for years. That's how we found our brother."

"You sensed him in the training room?" Angeal looked confused, as he helped her wash the dishes, his frown plain on his face. Sanura looked puzzled a moment, before laughing.

"…No…she's had this…almost obsession with LOVELESS…and when one of the spybots she had set up in every ShinRa virtual reality facility picked up the lines someone spoke, she rushed to find out what was going on. You see, it's never happened before." Her head tilted to the side slightly, a vague smile on her face. "She helped me to materialize with her…you see, at that time, it was very hard for us to be apart…It still is."

"You miss her already?" Angeal paused his work, turning to face her, noticing the sadness in her eyes, the downcast set of her face. "…there's something more to this, isn't there, Sanura?"

"…we are dangerous to each other, in this world." Sanura whispered. "When she is very sad or scared…she…changes…her eyes become like our brother's…and when she is angry, they become the same color as mine - and her body will start to change. But then, when I am angry or threatened…the same happens to me. If she changes…she will slaughter everything…even me, if I am not in the same state at that time…"

"…how are you dangerous to her, Sanura?" He looked confused, reaching out to pull her into his arms as tears began to slide quietly down her cheeks, not knowing what else to do but hope he could keep her from crying. "Sanura?"

"If her eyes turn to match Sephiroth's when I lose control of myself…I will kill her. No questions asked, I will hunt her down and try to annihilate her…and once I have finished with that, all those like her…even my brother." Her voice was a mere whisper now, slightly broken by sobs. "I would kill the only family I have…"

"Who told you this?" He sounded angry, picking her up to carry her into the living room so he could sit, holding her against him on his lap. "Sanura, who the hell told you that you would murder your own family?"

"It was programmed into the system for Seraphina and I to both learn when we were old enough…oh, maybe five years ago…Because we were locked in the capsule as we were, there was nothing to push us to snap, so we didn't have you worry. But you saw it. Seraphina almost lost control, when you found us a week ago…" She shuddered, shaking her head. "…and I've come so close, too…I don't want to hurt my sister!"

"Sanura…you would never do that." He whispered into her hair, pressing his lips to the side of her head as she whimpered in her sadness. "…I know you would never be able to kill your family, or your friends…you just aren't like that. Even if you lost control, you would come back to yourself before you could truly harm anyone…"

"…I don't know, Angeal…" She pulled away to look at him, wiping away her tears as she did so, before blushing. "…I'm sorry, you must think I'm such a crybaby."

"Not at all. I think you are genuinely worried about what you might do to those you love. And there is nothing wrong with that, Sanura. There is nothing wrong with loving your family." As she seemed to pause, as though wanting to ask a question, he tilted his head to the side in question.

"…what about…loving someone you only just met…?" As he remained silent, her breath caught in her chest, her entire body tensing to flee in mere seconds. Only as he looked down, blushing slightly, did she relax - but only a little.

"…I think…you would be capable of it." He whispered.

"…What about you?"

"I know it is quite possible."

"…do you think…maybe…you might…" She shot to her feet, embarrassed by her questions, only to find herself at the entrance to the hallway when he caught her wrist, and gently pulled her back to him, gaze unwavering as it met her own.

"…yes. I think I might be able to love you, Sanura." His breathing stopped as she froze, eyes wide in shock. As her arms wrapped around his neck and she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, he exhaled, his arms wrapping around her slender form to hold her close again. Only then did his better sense kick in with a rather violent blow, and he jerked away, holding her at arm's length.

"Angeal?"

"…no. You're my comrade's little sister." He whispered, shaking his head. "It cannot be proper for us to…"

"…We're actually technically the same age…we were created at the same time, anyway. But we were kept in stasis for six years."

"I know! That doesn't mean you aren't his baby sister! He would kill me, Sanura. And I would not be able to hold it against him." Angeal's voice was low, his hands moving to draw away from her shoulders.

"…There is nothing wrong with loving, Angeal." She whispered. "…isn't that what you just told me? That it is okay to love? I love you, Angeal."

"…Sanura…" His hands clenched on her shoulders - not so hard for it to hurt, but hard enough for her to feel the pressure, before he pulled her to him and bent his head to kiss him.

"What the hell is going on here?!" The roar shook the windows, and as both Angeal and Sanura jerked away from each other as though burned, they could hear the peals of laughter coming from behind the man standing in the doorway, before a black haired woman wriggled her upper body around him.

"Get outta the way, Seph, I want to see the show too!" Seraphina giggled, falling forward as he suddenly moved out of the way. Genesis managed to catch her, steadying her on her feet before letting her go and moving to the kitchen, where the food was in the oven keeping warm.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Sephiroth snarled, grabbing hold of the collar of Angeal's shirt, giving him a good shake. "That's my baby sister, you son of a bitch! Some friend you are, you bastard!"

Seraphina's jaw dropped at the fury she heard in her big brother's voice, but when she turned to see her twin sister trembling in equal if not greater rage, she froze, stepping back until she was against the wall, the green slowly taking over her eyes as her sister began to change. Her once pale face turned white, smoothing until it seemed to be made of marble. Her form lengthened, broadened, until she was eye-level with the men in the room. Nails grew to claws, her hair forming itself into braids that arranged themselves in an intricate design upon her head, the braids across her forehead making it seem as though she wore a circlet. In seconds, the transformation was complete. But to the shock of Genesis, who had stepped out to see if Sephiroth was trying to kill Angeal yet, her focus was not on the brother who had so enraged her.

It was on Seraphina. Genesis noted that it was as though the change in eye color had drawn that malevolent focus to her, and realizing how terrified she was, recognized it as the cause. He did what any other man in his position would have done. Stepping in front of her, he let his gaze rove up her form, before smirking slightly. He let that smirk deepen as his eyes met hers, and when her eyes snapped back to their original color, he braced himself for the blow, wincing as she reached out and slapped him, before tackling him to the ground.

"…good. Fight your fear…even if you must lash out at another to do it…" He whispered, making her fist pause not four inches from his face, confusion plain in her eyes.

"…what…?"

"…you are not afraid anymore…and your eyes are back to normal." He murmured, before glancing to Sanura, Sephiroth, and Angeal. Sephiroth was too busy shaking Angeal and growling threats at him to notice what had gone on behind him, but Sanura, still in that other form, was looking at Genesis as though he were the scum of the planet. "…now, would you mind calming your sister down before she decides killing me is a good idea?"

"Oh." Seraphina blinked over at her sister, before realizing something, and falling off of Genesis in peals of laughter. This drew the attention of everyone in the room, and snapped Sanura out of her rage into complete and utter confusion.

"…what's so funny?" Genesis questioned, sitting up as she sat up trying to catch her breath, only to fall backwards giggling again - he caught her, holding her against him until she could breathe enough to speak again.

"…Sanura…" Breaking off for another bout of giggles, Seraphina shook her head. "…you finally got to be the protective one!"

As Genesis helped her to her feet, he kept one arm around her, smiling faintly as Sanura began to laugh as well. When Sephiroth slowly set him down and released him, Angeal released the laughter he had been trying to keep in, only for all of them to fall suddenly and completely silent as Sephiroth calmly walked over to Genesis, and just as calmly decked him.

"Don't ever touch my sister like that again." He growled. Seraphina looked shocked, dropping to her knees beside Genesis to pull him against her, glaring accusingly at Sephiroth, shaking with both anger and tears she would not allow to be seen.

"How dare you?! Genesis just saved my life, brother! If you'd pay more attention to what was going on around you instead of snapping every time one of them shows signs of affection for us, maybe you wouldn't have put me in danger to begin with!" Tears in her eyes, she released Genesis, who seemed to be perfectly alright, and she took off out of the building. With one last, insulted look to Sephiroth, Genesis followed after.

As he turned around, he saw Sanura's tears, and realized she had been the danger to her sister - because he had angered her. Shooting Angeal a glare, he stalked off toward the office. "…I trust you, Angeal. Don't hurt my baby sister."

When Sephiroth had gone, Angeal turned to Sanura in complete and utter confusion, a frown on his lips. "What the hell is this? I get his blessing when I've done absolutely nothing, but Genesis, who saves Seraphina's life, gets threatened at every turn? …My dear, your brother has some _serious priority issues."_


	4. Chapter 4

"Seraphina…?" The voice from behind her was soft, as though unsure of the welcome she would give. As she turned to face him with tears in her eyes, Genesis sighed, moving to join her on the pier below Junon City proper. "Are you alright?"

"…yes. I'm sorry for how my brother is, Genesis." At the even tone in her voice, he frowned, glancing over at her to find her face as impassive as her voice. It was as though she were very carefully controlling herself, attempting to hide beneath the conversation that was expected.

"He's always been like this - he takes his responsibility seriously, and now you and your sister are his responsibility. Sephiroth merely worries that I will hurt you. Understandable, I suppose." A soft laugh, shaking his head. He noticed she was relaxing as he seemed to take her bait, and as she glanced over to him, he caught her gaze, his eyes hardening. "Now tell me what is wrong, Seraphina."

"What are you talking about?" She got to her feet, much more slowly than usual, and began to walk away. His gaze followed her for a few moments, noting that she was very careful with every step, as though walking across glass. Eyes narrowing, he followed her away from the city, keeping within arm's length of her. By the time they reached a small cove far from the city, it was obvious that she was in pain, as though every step, every heartbeat, every breath, caused her no end of agony.

"Seraphina." Genesis's voice had become a low growl, and as he lead her to one of the large, flat rocks beside the ocean, she sighed, looking up to him to see that he was not going to leave well enough alone. "What is going on?"

"…It's complicated." She murmured, sitting down slowly and pulling her knees to her chest as she looked out to the ocean. "…I…my body is deteriorating."

"What!?"

"My body is destroying itself." The voice was blank again, though as her eyes met his, there were visible tears within them. "I'm sure you've noticed - of Sanura and I, I am the strong one. The one who takes action no matter what. She has to be infuriated, or she will simply ease near the topic and hope someone else will actually pick up on it."

"I've noticed. What does this have to do with-" Her hand moved over his mouth, as she shook her head with a soft laugh. He could see that even through her pain, his impatience to understand what was going on made her smile. It was something that had amused her since she had first met him, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Let me finish." She had a tone that bordered on scolding, but the laughter in her eyes softened the attempted severity in her tone. "I have to be the strong one. It was never necessary before now, but when I was growing up in that capsule, I was trained to be this way. Genesis, you've seen both shades of my eyes. Each shade represents a part of me, and these parts seek only to destroy each other. If one is not dominant over the other, they are constantly at war."

"…in other words, the two parts of you are killing you." His lips moved against her hand as he spoke, and she drew her hand away quickly, a blush on her cheeks as she looked back to the ocean, nodding in answer to the rhetorical question. "…why hasn't this affected you before now?"

"The only way to keep them from killing me is if I am kept in pure mako - like I have been for the past thirty years. My…creator…knew this, but did not live long enough to find a way to save me. The most that could be done was program the capsule to train me to strength, and to give me the knowledge of myself." A shake of her head. "I knew when I was freed that it was only a matter of time. But…I don't want to go back to that…to living in a constant dream."

"Seraphina, if you don't, you will die." He grasped her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Isn't that what you just told me? If you aren't in pure mako, your body will destroy itself?"

"Yes, Genesis." Her voice was calm, even though he could feel her trembling with fear at the prospect of dying in such a manner. "But…I'm not ready to go back to that yet…I want to live a real life…just a little longer."

"Why?! Seraphina, you could die!"

"I am certain that I can live just a little bit longer." She told him, smiling at the worry in his eyes, her hand moving to touch to his cheek. "…don't worry, Genesis…when I grow too weak to fight to stay alive, I will return to a capsule like before, until I can survive again. I won't die on you, dearest."

"…dearest?" He blinked at the affectionate term, only to stare as she blushed and turned quickly away from him. "…Seraphina? You mean that, don't you?"

"I may be the twin that takes her time to decide, that weighs all her options before taking any step…but it does not mean that I cannot make choices without days of deliberation." Her voice was very quiet, hugging herself as she looked down at the rock on which they sat. "I may not usually be quick to love, but…this time, I am. I love you, Genesis. I'm sorry I'm not a more openly affectionate and kind person by nature, like my sister, but -"

"Shut up." For the second or third time that night, Genesis made her meet his gaze, his own intense as a low growl began in his chest. "You are not your sister, and if you were I highly doubt you would be half as interesting to me as you are. Stop attacking yourself for it."

"But-" He actually groaned in annoyance at her continued protest, simply pulling her to him to press his lips onto hers, effectively silencing her. Eyes that shot wide at the start fell slowly closed, her hands moving to his shoulders, clenching slightly as he drew back from her. "…Genesis?"

"…I do not know what it is, to love." He murmured, gaze searching her own as he spoke, for some sign that she understood. As she nodded faintly, he moved to brush his cheek against her own, lips near her ear parting. "…but I believe you could teach me…"

"Genesis?" The whisper was soft, as she pulled back to look into his eyes, one hand moving to touch to his cheek again. "…if I asked something of you…that my brother would probably kill you for agreeing to…would you agree to it?"

The laughter that emanated from his throat was far darker than she had ever heard from him previously, and as he lowered her back onto the stone still warmed from the summer sun, all traces of humor were gone from his eyes.

"Let's just say, whether you ask or not, I intend to risk my life tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

"Why." Sephiroth's voice was beyond irritated as he glared at Seraphina's empty bed, right next to Sanura's equally empty one. "WHY?!"

As he twitched a few times, he turned to the other two, firmly closed doors down the hallway. His own was right next to that of the twins, but he had fallen asleep in his office the night before, so he had not gotten to check on them before he went to bed. If he weren't afraid of what lay behind those doors, he would be sorely tempted to kick the damn doors down. Eventually, the temptation overcame him, and he stalked to Genesis's door, growling. His hand raised to knock, but fell before he actually touched the wooden surface. He turned away, as though not even wanting to know, but turned back just as quickly, the sole of his boot slamming into the door. As it flew from the hinges to fall inward, he was greeted with the sight of a bed that was not only empty, but also hadn't even been slept in.

The sight of this made what anger he had rise, stalking to Angeal's bedroom door. He knew what would likely lie behind this, but he was so furious at the disappearance of his sister with his best friend that he didn't even care. Once again, his foot slammed into the doorway, much harder this time - the door snapped, both pieces flying into the room.

"What the fuck?!" Angeal's voice was panicked, throwing his form over the much smaller one lying next to him, both fully clothed - if he considered a baby doll anywhere near fully clothed - much to Sephiroth's relief.

"…oh…shit. Angeal. RUN." Sanura was staring at the form in the doorway, body shaking as his fists clenched, one on the doorframe, the other at his side. "…why does he look so much bigger?"

"Sephiroth, we didn't do anything. I swear." Angeal told him calmly, getting out of the bed to stand between the brother and sister, hand gripped on the sword leaning against the foot of his bed as he warily eyed the man before him.

"…where…the hell…are Seraphina and Genesis?" His voice was a low growl as he met Angeal's gaze, the anger not alone in his eyes - Angeal realized he was worried for his sister. "Is he with her?!"

"…I don't know, Sephiroth. Do you really think killing him is a good idea right now?" Angeal remained calm, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked over his shoulder to Sanura, who was actually starting to growl as well.

"Fuck Genesis, where the hell is Seraphina?! Sanura, where is she?!"

"I don't know either. Why? What's the big deal?"

"Because contrary to the assumptions you made last night, I do notice a great deal about the both of you! Something is wrong, she's weak!" He snapped, turning away from them. "If she's alone in Junon, she could be in danger, dammit!"

"Or, she could have been with Genesis all night, unwilling to come back because you were being such a prick." The voice from down the hallway made all three jump - it was barely after seven in the morning, and the morning-loathing Seraphina sounded wide awake.

"…what the hell happened to my door?" Genesis sounded utterly bewildered, and as Sanura and Angeal looked to Sephiroth in confusion, Seraphina, glancing past her brother to wave at them, blinked - and started laughing.

"I get the feeling a little less that what happened to Angeal's door." She put a hand over her lips to contain her laughter, but instead ended up snickering, a snort heard as Sephiroth refused to meet anyone's gaze.

"I have no idea. But I'll get those fixed." He told them calmly, walking down the hallway to the office to make the calls. Genesis did not, however, escape unpunished, Sephiroth reaching out to smack him in the back of the head as he moved to slide his hand into Seraphina's. "You'll be explaining yourselves later."

"Sanura…why are you in Angeal's bed? And why is Angeal still alive if Sephiroth was staring at this fact?" As Sanura shrugged, moving to pull one of Angeal's shirts on over her baby doll to keep her decent enough to cross the hallway to the room she shared with Seraphina, her twin actually huffed. "I will have you know this is favoritism, brother!!"

"Shut up!" Came the response from down the hall, before all was silent in the office. Seraphina shook her head, moving to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

"So, Sanura isn't the only one who can cook?" Angeal commented, pulling one of his own shirts on as he followed Genesis and Seraphina down the hallway to lean against the kitchen counter, watching as Genesis helped Seraphina with breakfast. A brow arched as he noted the faintest gestures Seraphina made seemed to alert Genesis to whatever she needed. While they were waiting for the food to finish cooking, Genesis slid behind her, one arm wrapping around her waist as his lips pressed to the side of her head, a smile on her lips as she looked up to him.

"…No…I can make a few things. I'm just not as inventive with recipes as she is." The voice was distanced, and Angeal shook his head with a smile as he stepped out of the kitchen with plates and utensils to start setting the table. When he had finished, he moved to sit in the living room, where Sanura lay reading a book as she waited for breakfast - smiling, she sat up to give him room to sit on the couch with her, cuddling into him and continuing her reading.

Both were absorbed - Sanura in her book, Angeal in Sanura - and did not notice Sephiroth exiting the office. Nor did Genesis and Seraphina, focused on the meal and each other, realize he had entered the kitchen.

"…did you have any trouble last night, Seraphina?" The voice from the doorway startled her, both because she had not heard him near, and because it lacked a growl for Genesis's sake. "…you shouldn't have gone off like that - not with the trouble you've had with your strength waning."

"…Genesis had noticed, too." She murmured, carrying the prepared food out to set it on the dining room table, Genesis helping her. "…that's why he followed me. To make sure I would be alright…so, no, I didn't have any trouble, brother."

"…thank you." His gaze was on his friend, who nodded calmly. "…even though I know for a fact I should be throttling you this morning."

"I appreciate that you haven't yet. I take it the door kicking got some of the stress out of your system." The arched brow combined with the smirk on his lips left Seraphina giggling, though trying valiantly for her brother's sake to hide it.

"…as far as you and everyone in this apartment are concerned, the entire incident never happened." Eyes narrowing on his sisters, Angeal, and Genesis in turn, he crossed his arms over his chest with a nod. "Are we understood?"

"What incident?" Sanura laughed, having joined them with Angeal shortly after Seraphina brought breakfast from the kitchen. Halfway through breakfast, Genesis's cell phone rang, leading Sephiroth and Angeal to look to each other, before their gaze turned to Genesis, who had stepped into the kitchen, keeping his voice low. It was obvious that Seraphina had some idea of what was being said, as every passing moment her skin grew paler. Sanura knew how well her sister could hear, and this lead her to look to her brother and boyfriend with her lip held between her teeth.

"…What is it, Genesis?" Seraphina questioned quietly, no longer touching what remained on her plate, something that Sanura knew was a very bad sign. Seraphina had never had trouble eating, no matter how upset she was.

"…ShinRa." Sephiroth said quietly. "They're the only ones who have that number except Angeal and myself. What did they want, Genesis?"

"I'm to return to Wutai." The words drew gasps from both Seraphina and Sanura, who seemed shocked that Genesis was being called without Sephiroth and Angeal. "I'm to lead a squadron of SOLDIER in order to end hostilities. By force."

"When do you leave?" Seraphina questioned, having regained control of herself and beginning to finish her meal, though she felt as though nothing would taste quite the same again. Her gaze lifted to meet his, as though seeking some form of normalcy or promise of it in his eyes.

"Tomorrow night." His voice was equally calm, but all present could feel the tension that had formed following the phone call. They all knew that, SOLDIER or not, there was always the risk of death for those who were part of ShinRa's army.

"Very well." Those two words dispelled much of the tension, the rest of the group continuing their meal in much the same fashion Seraphina had - mechanically.

"So, when are we getting new doors? Damn those ninja door kickers, huh Sephiroth?" Sanura commented, effectively removing what remained of the tension as the others laughed, both at her comment and at the glare Sephiroth directed her way.


	6. Chapter 6

"Seraphina?" The voice came from behind the closed bathroom door, the worried tones of her elder brother. Sanura and Angeal, she knew, had gone out for a few hours, which left her practically alone in the apartment, as Sephiroth was working in the office. "Seraphina?!"

"I'm alright…just got out of the shower." She told him, focusing all her strength into making her voice seem entirely normal. It worked, for the most part, but even she could hear the false normalcy in her tone.

"You turned off the shower half an hour ago, Seraphina." She winced at the dry tone in her brother's voice, closing her eyes and rising to her feet. She had gotten dressed as soon as she dried off, but between that point and the sound of Sephiroth's voice, there was nothing but pain. She was still hurting, quite a bit, but she pushed the pain away as she moved to unlock and open the bathroom door, her brother standing there with a scowl on his lips.

"See? I'm fine." She informed him, moving to push past him only to blink as he grabbed her chin, slowly forcing her back into the bathroom to point at the mirror. Glancing over, she saw a darkening bruise on her jaw, where she must have hit it on the counter as she passed out.

"…really."

"Yeah, really. I slipped and fell, okay? It's no big deal." Shoving him away from her, she stalked from the room, pulling her wet hair up into a ponytail as she slid into her shoes. Her gaze drifted to the large male following her as though torn between forcing her to go to bed, and throttling her, at which point she had to sigh. "Brother, you can't follow me everywhere. Tseng offered to take me shopping, so unless you want to spend three to eight hours in a store, watching me spend your money-"

"…Genesis told me to give you this." She blinked at the card he held up, head tilting to the side in a mixture of curiosity and confusion. It was shiny, which made her curious. But it looked a lot like a shopping card, which confused her. As he held it out to her, she took it, staring blankly at the realization that it was a shopping card. A shopping card to her favorite boutique in Junon City.

"…uh…how…what…the…hell?"

"He called while you were in bed this morning, but demanded I not wake you, and told me to pick this up for you." At her utterly confused look, he laughed. "He said he had intended to take you shopping at this place himself…I did it over the systems, and they brought it over."

"…oh…" She smiled a bit, blinking away a few tears, though she was torn between feeling incredibly loved and wanting to laugh. As Sephiroth noticed this, and looked to her in confusion, she shook her head, snickering a bit. "Never mind. Tseng's downstairs waiting for me."

"I'm coming with you." The tone was not one to argue with, and she only struggled against laughter still more as her brother followed her out the door, locked it, then followed her down to the car against which a man in a crisp black suit leaned.

"Sera, right on time. It never fails." Tseng chuckled, straightening to open the passenger side door, allowing her to slide in, before he arched a brow at Sephiroth. "I'm more than mildly surprised at your willingness to join us."

"Yeah, well-" Before he could continue, a muffled screech from within the car was heard, and as Tseng jumped and turned to look, all he saw was a shiny card dropping into Seraphina's lap, and the girl staring blankly ahead of her in shock.

"What the hell?!"

"She just saw how much Genesis put on that card."

"…he's spending money?" Tseng blinked over at Sephiroth, both men laughing as they got into the car, Seraphina still moderately catatonic. "Here I thought he was never going to bother spending money unless he was making money from it."

"Apparently he's decided to ease the drain on my wallet." Sephiroth merely shrugged, Tseng laughing as he pulled into the street, glancing over to Seraphina.

"Where to?"

"Beautique." As Tseng glanced back to Sephiroth in surprise, he realized Sephiroth had never heard of the place. Turning his gaze quickly back to the road, he knew this was going to be one incredibly interesting shopping expedition.

Walking through the doors, Sephiroth nodded faintly. Upscale, classy - his sister had good taste in clothing. It wasn't until she made a beeline for the back room that he began to wonder, as Tseng started to look distinctly nervous.

"You have to start from the ground up! I need a good foundation!" She called over her shoulder, and as Sephiroth followed after her, he froze. Everything in the back was highly inappropriate for his sister to be wearing. Ever.

"What…the…h-" Tseng shook his head, moving to sit down as his sister calmly turned to one of the saleswomen and began discussing what shape the items would give her. Sephiroth was twitching as he watched his baby sister pick up at least three corset sets, and four pairs of panties. Only then did she turn to the lingerie section, at which point Tseng grabbed his arm to keep him from grabbing his sister and dragging her out of the shop.

"Calm down, Sephiroth." He muttered. "Your sisters have been shopping here since they saw the display their second day in Junon."

"What?" He started growling, turning to glare at Tseng, who merely arched a brow. "What do you mean this is where they have been shopping for the past two months?!"

"Alright! Now I'm ready!" A large smile to the men, and Seraphina lead the way to the clothing section, after carefully placing her planned purchases into Tseng's outstretched arms. He sighed, following behind her calmly, his gaze snapping to one of the men staring through the window at Seraphina. Said male scampered away with a terrified look on his face, as though he knew Tseng would find him and brutally beat him if he did not get away immediately.

"How long will this take?"

"Here? Not too long. The next two or so hours, however, we'll be spending in a bath store, then a perfume store. And after that, unless it's Sanura's turn to pick up groceries. Another hour in the grocery store." As he noticed Sephiroth's face paling, he laughed aloud. "I do this with her every week, Sephiroth. You don't have it too bad…though I will say this is the most she's ever gotten here."

"She probably didn't want to spend my money on so many clothes - but since Genesis specifically bought her a card for this store…" He scowled. "I am going to beat the hell out of him as soon as he gets back…"

"Why?" Tseng glanced over to him as the clothes piled up. "Because he knew how much she loved this store? And appreciated the fact that she wanted to look beautiful for him?"

"…stop trying to dissuade me. He's a dead man."

Some five hours later, the trunk full of groceries, the backseat with Seraphina's little indulgences, the three returned to Junon city - having left for Tseng and Seraphina's habitual visit to the cliff over the city, where she could see the stars better. Although she attempted to carry the bags up the stairs on her own, Sephiroth and Tseng ordered her up the stairs, getting them on their own.

"Sephiroth…what's wrong with her?" Tseng's voice was low, as he headed for the doors of the apartment building. "You can't tell me "nothing," I've seen how weak she's gotten. What is going on?"

"She won't tell anyone." Sephiroth replied, and as the men staggered through the apartment door, the bags fell from their arms at the sight of the woman who stood before them. Far from the happy, contented, albeit weary look that had been on her face when she went to the apartment, she had gone completely pale, her eyes already appearing shadowed. Her arms hung limply at her sides, the phone held in one of them.

"Seraphina?!" Sephiroth rushed to her, barely reaching her in time to catch her as she collapsed, tears pouring from her eyes. "Seraphina, what happened?!"

"…it…can't…it can't be…" Was all she would say, over and over again, and as Tseng glanced to the phone, he took it from her to press redial. His voice was crisp, every inch the Turk, as he demanded information. When he finished, he hung up the phone, looking wearily to Sephiroth. Seraphina had fallen silent, simply huddling into her older brother. As the apartment door opened behind Tseng to allow Sanura and Angeal to enter, he spoke at last.

"…Genesis is gone."


	7. Chapter 7

"Seraphina?" The voice was quiet, coming from the shadows of the park in Midgar. Due to her decreasing condition, Sephiroth had moved the sisters to Midgar in order to keep her near the best medical centers in the world - just in case, he said. Seraphina turned to the young woman, managing a weak smile as she gestured to the empty swing beside her.

"Hello, Aerith." She had met the woman when Sephiroth had sent her to look for Zack - she had found him with this young lady, and after she had sent him back, she'd suffered another fainting spell. Aerith had been with her still, and had helped her back to the apartment Sephiroth had acquired - one that she still shared with her siblings and Angeal. Sephiroth had owned the apartment for a few years, and as though she had known it already, Seraphina had gone, not to the room Sephiroth had prepared for the sisters, but instead to the one that had once belonged to Genesis.

"How are you?" She questioned, moving to sit in the swing next to the woman who had, in such a short time, become a very dear friend to her. Aerith noticed more than the others had as of yet. She could see how hard Seraphina was fighting to stay alive - she also saw that her friend was fighting a losing battle.

"I'm alright, really." A smile, more forced this time, though Aerith saw the tension of her hands on the chains of the swing, as though grasping that was all that kept her from screaming in agony. Her eyes showed so much - the near constant state of pain she was in, the weariness that truly was constant. A soft sigh from beside her made Seraphina glance over to see that Aerith was shaking her head.

"How much longer can you keep this up, Seraphina…? Even you have a breaking point, you know…" Her eyes held tears within them, tears of pain that her dear friend would not allow herself to shed. She felt her friend's pain, she felt her sorrow. "…we don't know if he will be found…you need to take care of yourself, or you'll be dead if he ever does return…"

"I know, Aerith. But…I need to keep fighting. Just a little longer."

"Zack told me you're sending Sanura with your brother and Angeal…" Aerith whispered, gaze falling to the pebbles their feet rested upon. "…how will you…take care of yourself?"

"I'll be fine, I promise."

"Come stay with me, Seraphina. Please. Sanura has already begged me to at least help you when you get so weak…If you came to stay with my mother and I, it would be so much easier for you…" Pleading gaze shifted to meet a set of nearly apathetic dual-colored eyes, and as she realized that the answer would soon come in the negative, she got to her feet. "Seraphina, you're always stronger when I'm with you. Surely it would help -"

"That's exactly why I cannot, Aerith." A sad smile passing into her eyes, she got to her feet, shaking her head. "Don't you understand, Aerith? If I stay around you too long…you will become weaker. I'll drain the life from you…I need to go help them prepare."

"Seraphina! Who is going to help you? You can't…you can't last long alone!" Aerith followed after her friend as she began to walk away, reaching out to grab her arm. "Please, Seraphina. You need help, we both know this…if you won't find someone to help you…I'll tell your siblings how severe your weakness has become. You know I will."

"…Aerith…" She knew the woman was true to her word - the promise she had made to keep silent on the subject would not bind her if it was a danger to Seraphina. A soft sigh, glancing back to her best friend, someone who was closer to her twin, in some ways, than Seraphina herself. "I've arranged things already…Tseng has agreed…to help me. Once the others are gone…truly gone…I'll be placed in one of Midgar's finest hospitals. Tseng and another Turk, Rude, will be keeping watch over me…so that…if my condition worsens…they can send word."

"…thank you, Seraphina…I…" A faint sigh. "I won't visit you so often that you will worry about me and feel guilty for weakening me, as you seem to believe you will…but I will come see you often. I promise."

"I know, Aerith…" The smile she gave her friend now was almost unblemished by the pain that wracked her body, the two heading back to the apartment together, where they found Zack watching in amusement as Sanura threw clothes into a suitcase - Sephiroth staring in utter horror as he saw the vast number of slinky camisoles and too cute boy shorts that were among Sanura's normal clothing. The sight brought giggles from both Seraphina and Aerith, and as Zack heard Aerith's voice, he turned with a grin to pull her into his arms.

"Hey…" His voice was quiet, and as Seraphina made to slide away from the warm, fuzzy, loving moment that made her heart ache for the man she had grown to love, it was brutally shattered by Angeal's yelp. Sephiroth was dragging him into the room to point in fury at the suitcase.

"…bloody hell." Seraphina's voice was weak, and the moment that would have exploded into violence ended as Sephiroth dropped his friend roughly to the floor in favor of diving across the room to catch his fainting sister.

"Seraphina?!" Sanura's voice was the first to draw her from the darkness that had swallowed her mind, and as her eyes blinked open, it was to find herself on the couch. A few moments of disorientation at the move kept her from realizing the entire group, plus one, was around her.

"Oh…hey Tseng." Seraphina whispered, pushing herself up to sit with a wince. "I see you're here to escort me to see these pains in the ass off."

"…yes." The response was curt, the worry plain in his gaze as he held out a hand to help her to her feet, her arm sliding through his to take the carefully hidden support of her full weight. The others had realized that there was a bond between Tseng and Seraphina, one which was nearly as strong as the bond that held Seraphina with Sanura, if not stronger. His gaze slid to her, eyes giving a meaning into his next statement more than what her siblings or Zack would understand. "Is everyone packed?"

"Yes…Sanura just finished." Seraphina answered - the bags were gathered by a large, silent man who Tseng introduced to the others as Rude, who stayed at the apartment with Seraphina's key after putting the bags in the trunk of a car.

Soon enough, they were standing at the helipad at ShinRa headquarters, though Aerith had chosen not to join them, returning to her home after a few moments alone with Zack. As Seraphina gave her siblings hugs goodbye, Tseng stood silently to the side. Only when the helicopter was out of sight did he return to Seraphina's side, once again the support to help her walk.

"Are you ready to go, Seraphina?" He questioned softly, looking carefully away as she wiped tears from her eyes. Only when he felt her start to move did he look to her again, escorting her carefully back to the car. He alone had been told how each step, of late, filled her with a pain akin to being burned alive from the inside out. He alone knew how difficult it had become for her to eat, or drink, or even sleep - he alone knew she was slowly dying.

"I need to rest, Tseng…" She whispered, as the car pulled up to the entrance of the hospital. By this point, it was nearly midnight, as they had planned. Seraphina had not wanted anyone to learn of her hospitalization, for fear that the news would get back to her siblings and distract them from their mission.

"I know…We prepared for it. Your bags are already in the room - the staff have been sworn to silence…" He informed her, as he opened her doorway, then stepped back to allow Rude to lift her carefully from the vehicle and place her into the wheelchair he had brought out for her. As Rude wheeled her into the building, Tseng walked just beside her. Her hand reached out, grasping his and clinging to it a moment as she looked up to him with tears in her eyes.

"…please don't tell them…please, Tseng, don't tell them anything until…it's necessary." She pleaded. As they paused in the elevator to travel to her floor - the very highest floor - he glanced down to her, and nodded slowly.

"As long as you are conscious…I will not tell anyone." He promised her. The absence of nurses or doctors of any kind had drawn her notice by this point, looking to him in confusion. Tseng chuckled softly, nodding. "We sent them away from this part of the hospital until we get you settled. They have been informed that no one is to disturb you without my permission."

"…thank you, Tseng." She whispered. As they entered the supremely clean, white, sterile room that was now hers, and Rude locked the wheels of the chair to lift her to the bed, she looked to him. "And you, Rude…thank you."

"…It's not necessary." He told her quietly, as he carefully laid her down on the bed, and pulled the blankets up over her. "…rest. Just rest, now. We will watch over you."

"Oh…Tseng…let the staff know that Aerith is allowed in…please…" She whispered, slowly closing her eyes.

"I will, Seraphina." The response was nearly silent - as his phone vibrated in his pocket, he frowned, pulling it out to answer it. A glance to Rude, and the man saw his superior was mildly irritated by the interruption. "Rude…the boss needs me to return."

"I'll be waiting here." He informed him, pushing the wheelchair into a corner off to the side, and beginning to unpack the suitcase Seraphina had packed for this trip. He noticed that she had packed only her most comfortable clothes - skirts, cloth pants, and light blouses.

The realization that her usual clothing caused her pain even to wear made his fists clench slightly, though he was careful not to damage anything as he silently placed the clothing in the dresser across the room. Tseng left after a last glance to the woman sleeping so peacefully on the bed, closing the door carefully behind him. Only when the door closed did Seraphina open her eyes to look to Rude.

"…open the blinds, please, Rude…I want to see the sky…" He nodded silently, walking away from the suitcase to pull open the blinds. The stars were hidden, being in the city as they were, but the sight of the sky seemed to ease her, as her eyes drifted closed once more.

Rude finished unpacking her clothing and toiletries, though a small part of his mind wondered sadly how long she would be able to keep up the appearances of a healthy life. It had taken them days to convince her to come to the hospital, and though he understood why she had fought so hard against the idea, it pained him to know even this would do no good.

In the bottom of the suitcase, he found two pictures, framed by very simple black picture frames - as he lifted the first out, he saw a picture of Seraphina, Sanura, Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal, Seraphina and Sanura leaning happily against the ones they loved, while Sephiroth loomed behind them as though threatening anyone who dared to tarnish that joy. Rude couldn't help the faint smile as he set the picture on the bedside table where Seraphina would see it when she woke.

It was the second photograph that made him pause, heart aching as he realized that her family, in her mind, was not contained in that single picture. This was a photograph taken on the cliff above Junon, the three sitting in the grass, Seraphina leaning against them both, all three having to lean back so she could take the picture. It was at an odd angle because of this fact, but all that struck him was the fact that she was laughing so happily - yet he could now plainly see the pain in her eyes.

As he placed the picture beside the other on her bedside table, he glanced over to her, noticing the way her brow furrowed. Even in sleep, the pain did not cease. This was even more painful than the memories, as he drew up one of the chairs to sit and watch over the one who he had come to care for as though she were family.

"…if I could take your pain, little sister, I would…"


	8. Chapter 8

"Sephiroth." The line crackled faintly over the radio, Sephiroth turning to dive into the truck and grab the handset.

"Tseng? What's going on? How did you get this line?"

"I'm in headquarters, they patched me through. Sephiroth, Seraphina's taken a turn for the worse. Any signs of Genesis?"

"No. Things have gotten worse - Angeal's disappeared as well." He could hear the other man groan, and in his mind's eye he saw Tseng rubbing his temples with one hand. "I'd appreciate it if no one told Sanura about Seraphina, we're barely keeping her going now."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Aerith is the only one who keeps in contact with someone other than you, and she hasn't told Zack anything about Seraphina."

"Good."

"I need to go now, before the boss hears I came in - I asked for today off."

"For her?"

"Of course. Be safe, Sephiroth. It'd kill them both, if something happened to you - when she's lucid, all she wants to know is how things are going for you three…"

"I'll be careful." As the radio disconnected, Tseng got to his feet and slid out of the building quickly, never noticing the blonde that followed silently in the distance, never glancing back, never expecting anyone to be following him in the first place.

Rufus frowned slightly as he looked up at the building Tseng had entered - it was one of ShinRa's best and most exclusive hospitals. This both drove the curiosity he held, and worried him. It had not occurred to him that Tseng could be ill. As he slid in after the typically professional Turk and followed him up the stairs, he became certain that Tseng himself was not ill - he had not checked himself in.

Sliding behind one of the plants on the top floor, he watched as Rude exited a hospital room, meeting the other man. After a few moments of whispering, Tseng went inside, and the bald man left the building. It was a good three hours later before Tseng left, and Rufus calmly walked into the room, expecting an injured SOLDIER or something of the sort.

As the door closed behind him and his eyes adjusted to the darkened room, he was startled to see a beautiful young woman lying as though asleep. Her hands were folded at her waist, and her breathing was slow and steady. The scene would have been peaceful, but for the lines of pain etched around her eyes.

"…Tseng? …Really, I told you…I'll be fine for one night without you or Rude-" The voice was faint, but as eyes opened to see a man she did not know standing by her bedside, her words ended abruptly. "…Who are you?"

"…I am Rufus ShinRa." His voice was quiet, easing into the chair that remained pulled up to the bedside, fingertips pressing together as he looked calmly at the young woman who weakly turned her head to meet his gaze. Those eyes were beautiful, such a unique mixture of mako and earth, even as recognition dawned in them. "You know of me."

"You're…Tseng and Rude's boss." She whispered, attempting to sit up only to hiss in agony and lay back with a soft sigh. "I take it you've…been wondering where they…keep disappearing to…"

"I have. I did not expect to find a young woman in a hospital as their reason…" He murmured softly, watching as she shrugged slightly.

"I apologize…I've tried to tell them…that they can't…just abandon…" She started to drift, gasping in sudden pain and focusing her gaze on him again. "…abandon their work for me…"

"You should rest…" Rufus looked worried, and his usually blank façade snapped into worry as she tried to sit up and instead started to fall. He leapt to his feet to catch her, easing her back to lay down and pulling the blankets up over her even as she shook her head.

"I…apologize…for my…weakness…" She whispered, before her eyes slid shut. Rufus sat in silence, contemplating her closed eyes. As the light of dawn slipped through the windows, it slid across the smooth skin of her face, still tensed with pain. When the room brightened a bit more, he noticed a copy of LOVELESS on the bedside table, a bookmark sticking out the top.

Picking it up, he slid it open and began to read aloud, softly, to the woman lying in the bed before him. When he glanced up between sentences, he noticed her face seemed less etched with pain, and there was even a smile on her face. Glancing at the bookmark, he noticed a schedule on the back.

"Obviously you intend for them to quit neglecting their jobs." Rufus murmured, chuckling as he noticed that Rude and Tseng were only given slots when they would not be working or sleeping. The name Aerith was not given much more time to visit her, he noticed, leaving her alone for a decent amount of the day, and all night. "I believe I will remember this…and visit you, myself."

As he glanced to the clock, he realized Rude would soon return, and closed the book, replacing it on the bedside table to slip out, heading to the office for a few hours. At least today he knew Tseng would not be calling in.

He, however, made sure to slip out for lunch in between Rude and Tseng's visits to the hospital, grabbing two meals and a rose, and heading up to the woman's hospital room. He found her staring silently out the window, though as the door opened, she turned to the window as though irritated.

"Tseng, if you called in because of me again-" Again, her words ended abruptly at the sight of the other man standing in the doorway, though this time more in confusion at the objects he carried than at his return. "…what is that?"

"Lunch." He told her easily, setting the bags down on a table and grabbing an empty vase from the windowsill. He turned to the bathroom, filling the vase, and placed the rose within it. That vase was set down on her bedside table near her copy of LOVELESS, leaving him to turn to her, smirking at her confusion. "What, can't you eat?"

"How would you know what I like?"

"Obviously you feel a bit more rested today." He chuckled, pulling a bowl from the bag to place it before her, along with a spoon. "Vegetable soup."

"…ugh not you too." He grinned at the weary tone of her voice, taking the bowl back and putting it back in the first bag, setting it off to the side as he dumped the second bag onto the rolling table. No less than ten wrapped tacos slid out of the bag, making her blink at him.

"…What?"

"You…like tacos?" He grinned as he handed her one, before taking a bite out of one himself, nodding slightly.

"Who doesn't?" Was the only response he gave, between massive bites of taco. She managed to eat two, as he had expected. Seraphina couldn't help but laugh as he downed the other eight in less than fifteen minutes. He tossed the remains into the bag, throwing it away and sliding the table out of the way so he could pull the chair up closer to her bedside. "Are you getting tired again?"

"No…not right now." She told him easily, though she did lay back down, attempting to conserve energy. She had such a limited supply of it lately, she had to be careful or she wouldn't be able to warn her visitors before she slept. "Why did you come back?"

"…You seemed like you'd enjoy company that wasn't trying to mother you." He commented quietly, earning a laugh for his effort. "Besides…you intrigued me."

"I managed that? I'm flattered." She murmured, shaking her head slightly.

"You should be. At any rate…I take it Rude came to see you before he came in to work today?"

"Yes…" Noticing the way her hearing was starting to drift, she forced herself to focus on him for a moment. "…I'm…about to fade out again…I apologize…I…"

"Rest." He murmured, reaching out to pull the blankets more firmly over her shoulder. As she drifted into sleep again, he picked up the book on her bedside table and began to read aloud, and was nearly three chapters in when he glanced up to the clock to realize that Tseng would be arriving soon - as would Rude, his lunch break occurring just as Tseng got off work.

He slid the bookmark into the book, closing it quietly and getting to his feet. He took care to put the bowl of soup and spoon on the table, and slid it near the bed so Seraphina would not have to get up for it if she woke hungry before the others arrived, before he tucked the blanket around her and slid out the doorway with the bags in one hand, throwing them in a trashcan outside the hospital before he headed back to the office.

When Rude and Tseng entered the room, it was to find Seraphina still unconscious, but as they realized that things had been moved, they looked to each other in utter confusion. Aerith wasn't coming until this evening, and neither of them had brought the flower or the food. This left them wondering what mysterious admirer not only knew her favorite flower was the yellow rose, but also that her favorite soup - the only one she would eat anymore - was vegetable.

"Who the hell could know that? Sephiroth doesn't even know that!" Tseng hissed, pointing first to the flower, then to the bowl of soup. As Seraphina stirred momentarily, and looked to the two in confusion, Rude glared at him for waking her.

"…maybe it was a lucky guess…" She whispered. To their shock, she fell straight back into sleep, as opposed to staying awake even a few minutes longer. It was only getting worse, and Sephiroth and the others weren't due to return to Midgar for another week. Seraphina still had not told them the final measure to be taken when she slipped into a coma, and they knew they were running out of time. Neither man were certain just how much longer she could live like this, and neither really wanted to find out - but she still refused to reveal the key to returning her to full health.


	9. Chapter 9

"Is…she okay?" The question was directed to the two SOLDIER sitting on either side of the nearly catatonic young woman, and as Sephiroth directed a glare to the lowly MP, the boy nearly jumped out of his skin. "I…I'm sorry, sir, it's just-"

"…She's in a bit of shock right now." Zack's answer was far kinder, letting the boy relax slightly, his blue gaze seeming relieved that he wasn't going to get slaughtered for his impertinence. "I don't know you, do I?"

"No, I'm sorry. My name is Cloud Strife, I was assigned to accompany you, but…she wasn't mentioned in the information I was given." He seemed confused, but as the girl merely let her gaze drift from the floor of the ship up to him, the pain in her eyes took him aback.

"…I'm sorry…I don't mean to be any trouble…" She whispered, making him quickly shake his head, waving his hands before him as he blushed.

"No, it's not any trouble, I was just curi-"

"…curiosity killed the cat." Sephiroth's growl came as he got to his feet and continued his death glare towards the boy, eyes narrowing on him. "Stop upsetting my sister."

"Sephiroth, no…I'm not upset by it, really. Don't be mean to him, he was just worried that something was wrong…" Sanura pleaded, getting to her feet to grab his elbow before he could really lose his temper. "I'm sorry, Mr. Strife, my brother's really on edge…Our sister disappeared a short time back, and it's really shaken the both of us up…I'm Sanura…"

"No, please, just call me Cloud…I'm sorry for being so nosy." He bowed his head to her, then saluted Sephiroth, who looked ready to grab him and slaughter him for his questioning. At that point, he made a strategic retreat, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.

"Sephiroth, that was rather cruel." Zack was trying to hide his grin at the sudden reemergence of Sephiroth's protective side, but failed miserably. "I'm sure the boy meant well."

"Hn. Nosy little brat should have kept his mouth shut and not spoken to his superiors until directed to do so." Sephiroth turned to see Sanura looking at him with something close to a pout on her lips - a good sign, though it did not bode well for him. "What is it, Sanura?"

"He was just being nice…I think he wanted to be friends." She huffed, then moved to dash after the boy, who was only a little younger than Sanura herself. Though she had been thrown into shock due to recent events and neglected to spend time with her one friend she gained on her own, Aerith, she was feeling lonely now that she no longer had her to talk to.

"Huh?! Sanura, right?" Cloud looked startled as she leapt in front of him, then shot a horrified glance around to see if Sephiroth was going to appear to strangle him for it. She nodded slightly, looking shy, before holding out her hand.

"Yes…and you're Cloud. Nice to meet you. Can we be friends?" As he blinked a few times, he nodded, shaking her hand. "…thanks…I've been lonely, with just my brother and Zack to talk to. Zack's fun, but…my brother's just so worried, like me…"

"It must be hard…but I have to get back to work. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon, since we're heading for the same place." As he walked away, Sanura nodded, moving back to where her brother stood waiting expectantly.

"…thank you for not swooping down and threatening him, big brother." A small smile, before sighing and looking out at the ocean. "…I think I'm going to go below and nap for the rest of the trip…we'll be there soon, right? Just come get me when it's time to go."

Within three hours, they had arrived at their destination that would begin the next leg of the trip, and Sanura found herself stuck between Zack and Cloud, looking from one to the other as they bantered constantly the entire trip. Only when they arrived in Nibelheim did the two stop talking, which gave her a bit of peace, as she was helped from the back of the truck by her older brother.

"Excuse me, my name is Tifa Lockhart…" The girl blinked at the sight of the woman who stood beside Sephiroth, before turning to face him.

"You are the guide, correct?" As she nodded slightly, he gestured back. "This is my sister, Sanura…she's still weary from the journey. Where is the inn?"

"…oh…right this way. If you have anything you need to do here, I can show her to her room for you." Tifa offered. When Sanura gave her brother a slight nod, he moved back to the truck to speak to his men, leaving Sanura to follow behind Tifa, her bag clutched in her hands. "…Sanura, right?"

"Yes…and you're Tifa?"

"Uh-huh. So, are you a member of SOLDIER, too?" A curious glance, before shaking her head in answer to her own question. "No, you can't be…you don't have the right eyes for it. I'm sorry, am I talking too much?"

"No, it's okay. I like this place, you live in this town, right?"

"Yes…that's my house, right over there." Pointing to it, she blinked as Sanura perked up. "…so, if you're not part of SOLDIER, maybe you'd rather spend some time away from them, since they'll be planning and everything."

"…that'd be nice…I've been out of sorts lately, so my brother's been playing like my shadow. Can I put my bags in my room, then hang out with you?" Though Tifa knew the woman was much older, she also saw a loneliness in her eyes that made her feel sad herself. Nodding firmly, she grinned and ran towards the inn.

"Come on, Sanura. This way!" As she ran off, Sanura blinked, then her face seemed to light up as she dashed after the young woman, laughing. They pounded up the stairs of the inn, and after she tossed her bag into the room, they ran back out again, and across the square into Tifa's home, Sephiroth and Zack watching all the while.

"…Looks like she made a new friend, Sephiroth." A small smile as he glanced over to his superior, only to blink at the relief in the other man's gaze, though it disappeared the moment Sephiroth realized he was looking.

"So it does…I'm glad of it, she needs something to keep her busy while we take care of matters here."

"Right. We head to the reactor tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. But I'm sure she'll demand we let her join us…she wants to see a reactor up close." Shaking his head, he turned back to direct the others, though there was a smile in his eyes when he heard his sister come running out of the house with Tifa, both laughing like children. Sephiroth was very glad she made friends so easily. He hoped it would ease her pain over Seraphina's disappearance.


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you ready?" Sephiroth knew he hardly had to ask, from the excited look on Sanura's face. As she nodded, he shook his head with a small smile. "Good, that girl is downstairs waiting."

"Tifa!" The delighted squeal was heard even as his sister disappeared down the stairs, leaving him to follow at a much more sedate pace. As she chattered happily with her newfound friend, he had to turn away to hide the smile, again assuming his mask of indifference, which remained even in the picture that was taken. "I'm so excited! I've never seen a reactor up close before!"

"I've never seen the inside, but one of the workers told my father that below is the purest mako, untouched by any contaminants of any kind. It's why Mt. Nibel's reactor is so important to ShinRa, I think…"

"Completely pure mako?" Sanura's eyes widened, as she turned to Sephiroth. "Is that true? It must be beautiful! …Seraphina would have loved it…"

"…Seraphina?" Tifa suddenly looked confused, never having heard the name in her time spent with Sanura, and as she saw the pain in her friend's eyes, she reached out to take her hand. "Sanura, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry…Seraphina is my sister…she…disappeared…a short while ago…she was sick even before that…we're afraid she might not be…might not be…" Unable to continue, Sanura broke off in tears, turning away from the group. "That's…part of why I came with Sephiroth…we keep hoping maybe she'll be somewhere he goes…the Turks are putting as much of their resources as they can into finding her, but…nothing yet…"

"Sanura…" Tifa reached out to grab her hand, squeezing softly, before giving her a reassuring smile and starting to walk. "Come on, let's get moving. It'll help you keep your mind off things."

By the time they reached the reactor, Sanura had become her usually happy self, though Tifa now knew why there was that shadow of sadness lurking in her eyes. However, while Tifa moved off to one side of the room with Cloud and Zack, Sanura, eager to get a closer look at the life stream, clambered down the ladder to the catwalk under the catwalk, gasping as she looked to one side and found a capsule of that pure makou, unconnected to anything but the life stream below.

Standalone as it was, the monitors displayed everything needed to know as far as the vital signs of the occupant went, but this was not what caught her attention. No, what drew her eye was the woman that lay sleeping within it. Drawing in a breath to scream out for her brother, she was quiet long enough to hear a voice above.

Genesis. Snapping her mouth shut, she realized who had brought Seraphina to this place, and from one look at the monitors displaying her sister's vital signs, she knew Seraphina was surfacing from complete unconsciousness to the sound of his voice.

The words, however, were disturbing ones, and as her sister's eyes snapped open, they were filled with fear, though merely a deep brown, protected as she was from her two halves by the makou surrounding her. Sanura moved quietly to the panel to release her sister, letting out a relieved breath as Genesis left the reactor, shortly before the panel slid open and her sister fell forward, pushing herself back to her feet with no care for the fact that her nightgown was only slightly opaque at the moment.

The makou crystal at her throat gave off a vibrant glow that was mirrored by her eyes, though within moments of her exiting the capsule the glow of the crystal dimmed slightly. With help from her twin, she made it up the catwalk to stand waiting for her brother to turn. When he did, he could only stare for a few moments, blinking as she stepped forward wincing.

"You're barefoot…" He realized, moving forward to pick her up as he had once done with her sister. "…where have you been?! What happened to you?"

"…I'm sorry…I told Genesis, before he left…how to save me…and he did. I've been here, ever since the night I disappeared…" A small smile, before closing her eyes to keep the tears in. "…can I find somewhere to lay down, please? It's really draining, adjusting to the world outside…"

"Is this Seraphina?" Tifa's question drew said woman's attention to her, blinking as she tried to remember if she knew her or not. "I'm Tifa…a friend of Sanura's, from here in Nibelheim."

"…she's known you less than a week, more than likely, yet you're already best friends. Am I right?" Seraphina questioned. When Tifa nodded slowly, unsure of what was expected, she had to laugh, glancing over to her sister. "Some things never change…It's nice to meet you, Tifa…I'm Seraphina. Thank you for being Sanura's friend…I'm sure she needed that more than ever when we were separated…she's very easily frightened."

"Shut up!" Sanura grumbled, stalking out of the reactor with Tifa running after, laughing. Sephiroth, however, remained silent, taking his sister to the inn, before disappearing completely. He simply left Seraphina in the care of his underlings - and though Cloud was a frequent target for her sarcasm and teasing, he grew to like her despite that. He was the one who helped her recover the most, though whenever Tifa showed up, Cloud disappeared.

However, while Sanura was only too happy to spend more time with her newfound friend, Seraphina knew something was terribly wrong with their brother, but she just couldn't figure out quite what it was. That feeling would not go away, which made her more agitated by the day. The worst part was, she knew she was right. They were all in very grave danger.


	11. Chapter 11

_I hate it when I'm right._ Seraphina thought to herself, waking to the sounds of screams and the smell of smoke. Out of her bed in an instant, she threw on a pair of Sephiroth's jeans, leaving the shirt she used for a nightshirt - one of the dress shirts Sephiroth always brought with him, which, much like the jeans, was something he and everyone else knew he would never wear, yet always brought - on, rushing out of the room without bothering to stop even to put on a pair of shoes.

"Sanura!" She screamed, seeing Tifa's house on fire much like everything else, but before she could feel true panic, she was distracted by the sight of her brother disappearing into the flames. It was him. In her heart, she knew it, and she felt her heart beginning to shatter at the realization. Her brother, her beloved idol, had done this…

And worse, he had left both his sisters behind to die. The world stopped for an instant in the blinding flames, only moving again as she heard her sister scream her name from the other side of the square.

"Seraphina! Seraphina, come on, Tifa's gone after him! She's gone after whoever did this, he's in the reactor! We have to go with her, she could die!!" The scream made her burst into action, running through the flames with little regard for her own safety, leaving her sister to dart after her.

The world was falling apart, the screams of the dying echoing through her mind even as she ran for the reactor, only pausing when her sister grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. "What's gotten into you!? Seraphina, what the hell is wrong? Say something!"

"…I know who did this…" Face twisting in rage and betrayal and pain, it became marked by a twisted smile, followed by equally warped laughter. When she leveled her gaze on her sister, the usual lacing of mako green was growing stronger, making her sister tremble slightly.

"…Seraphina…?" The question was hesitant, even her frightened face not enough to draw Seraphina back to herself, the betrayal compounded by the fact that it was Genesis who had brought it about, and she knew it. Genesis had helped drive her brother to this, and soon enough she was trembling from the conflicting emotions, all the while her eyes growing more and more corrupted by green. "Hey… Seraphina…talk to me…"

"…would you like to know, Sanura?" The snap was filled with venom. "Do you really want to know? The one who did this, who destroyed everything and left us to die? It was our _beloved brother_, Sanura. Sephiroth did this! He killed everyone, he set the fire!"

"No…" Shaking her head as she pulled away from her sister, tears shone in her eyes. "No, that's not possible…you know he'd never do that, Seraphina! What's wrong with you?! Sephiroth would never do this!"

"…come on." Grabbing her sister's hand, roughly, she continued running to the reactor, leaving Sanura to run with her, or be dragged. They entered the reactor just in time to see him attack Tifa, before pausing at the sight of them. While Sanura was in shock, unable to believe what she had just seen, Sephiroth's gaze did not meet hers. Instead, he focused solely on Seraphina.

"…I found Mother…" The whisper was almost maniacal, and he smiled as he saw the sudden flash of recognition, before it faded in her eyes, too overcome by the events to grasp anything for long at the moment. "…are you here to keep me away from her, too?"

"…how could you…? HOW COULD YOU?!" Sanura screamed, rushing towards him only to gasp as his fist slammed into her stomach, eyes widening momentarily, before they fell shut as she slumped forward. He held her like that a moment, one hand rising to caress her long hair, before he allowed her to fall, gaze never leaving the sister who at the moment, looked very much like him, although with different hair color.

"…while I care - very deeply - for both of you…" He whispered, seeming to be struggling to control the urge to slaughter them both as he had everyone else, "…I cannot let you stop me…not either of you…"

As Seraphina rushed toward him, he reacted instinctively, sword coming up to catch her in her movement towards him, only to blink as she refused to stop, but drove herself onto it completely…her arms wrapping around him as tears fell from her eyes.

"…We both love you…brother…" Coughing, she closed her eyes, gripping tightly to him as her blood began to seep around the blade, staining the shirt she wore. "…don't…forget that… We love you…and we'll never…I'll…never…betray you…"

The sudden spasm of agony that flashed across his face was unseen by the woman who left him no choice but to pull the sword away, leaving her to slump into him, blood rushing from the wound to stain his chest as he looked down at his blade in horror.

"…Seraphina…" The moment of sanity did not last long, however - he had only just begun to heal that wound, when his focus shifted…she was no longer going to die as quickly, but she was dying, nevertheless, as he turned, and walked away, into the chamber where Jenova lay in wait.

"…brother…" The girl whispered, pulling herself very painfully into a fetal position, as tears slid from her eyes, blood slipping from between her lips. Sanura managed to open her eyes, but as she did, her eyes locked on the sight of her sister, a bloody, dying mess. The sight of the blood, coming from her sister's body, so like the nightmares from her time in Wutai, left her unconscious once more. Had she known this was the last sight of her sister she would have for the next four years, those eyes would not have closed.

She could not have known, and that fact was to be her sister's downfall.


	12. Chapter 12

"Take those two, also." The voice instinctively grated on her nerves, and as her eyes opened, she realized why. Though in agony, her mind still shattered by the events of the night, Seraphina recognized the man.

"…no…" She managed to whisper, drawing his attention. "…not you…Hojo…"

"Sedate her. We have a very good specimen for experimentation here, we can't have it getting itself hurt any further." He seemed delighted at the thought, humming even as he walked out of the reactor, leaving Seraphina to whimper as she was injected.

Darkness closed in, returning only upon entering the ShinRa Mansion, eyes opening as they began to wheel her sister to another room. She struggled to reach out, whimpering in terror.

"Sa…Sanura…no…" Even as the needle sent her back to the cold, silent darkness, the last thought in her mind was not fear for herself, but only for her sister.

"Good, that will do nicely." Hojo nodded a bit as he saw to the placing of Sanura, nodding as he turned to his assistant who was entering the room with a vial of Jenova cells, ready to be injected. The moment the assistant was within two feet of her, Sanura reacted. Her body began to shift, to change, and she ripped herself free of the restraints, reaching for the assistant.

One hand fastened around his throat, while the other flattened, the long, deadly nails driving through his heart before she let him drop to the floor, focusing on the next assistant. Two more had died - though very quickly and relatively painlessly - before they managed to sedate her again.

From his hiding spot in a corner, Hojo stared in a mixture of awe and horror, gasping from his fear even as he gave the orders that she be placed in a capsule alone in this room, with no way to access her sister or even much of the outside world.

"Even if it could reach the other experiment, it would do neither any good." Hojo couldn't help his laughter, walking out of the room with the few remaining assistants he had. "I doubt that one will be able to focus beyond anything for some time. How are the experiments progressing?"

"Quite well, doctor, though it does seem to be causing the subject a great deal of pain-"

"It's only a specimen for study, don't pay that any mind." Hojo said calmly, as he closed the soundproof door to Sanura's chamber and locked it, before opening the outer door, screams of agony filling the dank basement hallway. He stepped into the room in which said experiment was contained, countless numbers of tubes and wires currently invading her flesh, her open eyes filled with horror and tears, even as readings printed from a machine.

"But must we leave the subject conscious through all of this, doctor?" The woman looked slightly upset at the thought, only to stare as he simply laughed.

"What? Of course we must, this subject's reactions must be conscious to achieve the proper readings of the reactions of the two corruptions in it." A shake of his head. "However, if it would make you happy, why not volunteer to watch over our other specimen?"

"No…I will work with this one." The woman whispered quietly, and as she looked up into the girl's eyes, for a brief moment the screaming paused. It was so short that the good doctor did not notice it, nor did any of the other many assistants in the room, but the woman saw it.

It was days before they simply left Seraphina alone - days in which she screamed for hours, to no avail. It was hard on the assistant who had suggested they sedate her to ease the pain, but she said nothing - she did not want to be reassigned from this specimen, who she had begun calling "the Fallen Angel" in absence of her name, which no one knew.

"You poor dear…" She whispered, walking up to the capsule in which the experiment now rested, alone in the room to watch over her, while the others sat in their offices pouring over the results from their experiments. It had happened so many times in the past two years, her being left alone with the girl, but only now did she have the courage to go right up to the capsule. "…I am…so sorry…If I could save you, I would…but Hojo has an alarm connected to all of these capsules, so that the moment they are opened, he knows…"

Her hand lifted to press to the glass, only to gasp as the girl's eyes suddenly opened, a deep brown color filled with tears. The girl's hand lifted to press against the glass where the woman's own rested, her head moving slowly from side to side.

"No? …wait, are you telling me you…don't hate me for all of this?" The woman was still so very young, and inexperienced, to feel so much emotion when all this girl should have been was another of the many endless specimen she had to help experiment on. As the girl nodded, the woman's shoulders slumped in relief. "…thank you, Fallen Angel…oh…My name is Andromeda…"

She saw the small smile on the girl's face, before her hand dropped and her eyes closed once more, still recovering from the most recent bout of experiments done upon her. Andromeda smiled softly, letting her own hand fall before she returned to the console that monitored the girl's status, sighing as she sat back down to wait for the next round of torture.

As time went on, Seraphina began to fight her screams more and more often, recognizing the pain in Andromeda's eyes when she screamed out in her agony. However, she could not stop herself, looking to the woman pleadingly every time the experiments began to rip her mind apart with the pain. In time, the guilt finally got to her, and only two years after she first saw the girl respond to her kindness, she believed she had her chance to save her.

Hojo, she had thought, had left for the next few days, and intending to use every moment of that time, she waited only until she was certain he was on the ship far from the ShinRa Mansion. Then, she rushed to the console, beginning to key in the first of the codes that would release the Fallen Angel from her prison. The second, had to be entered into a panel beside the capsule itself, and as she hurried to do so, the door opened behind her.

"…I knew you were going to do something like this…" Suddenly realizing why her Fallen Angel, as she called her, had been giving her panicked looks, Andromeda turned slowly to face Hojo, realization dawning. Seeing it, Hojo began to laugh. "That's right, there was no conference at all…I never left. However…it seems I won't have much choice now. All I have here are idiot grunts - good for analyzing data, but useless at being of any real help."

"What…do you mean?"

"Why, I have to kill you, so I'll need a new assistant." A twisted little smile, as he lifted the gun and shot her in the chest, blood seeping from the wound and soaking into her once pristine white lab coat, filling the etched lettering on her nametag.

In shock, she reached up to touch the wound, staring at the blood on her hands before she turned slowly to Seraphina, who was too horrified even to scream, but the tears were falling rapidly, her hand reaching out only to be stopped by the glass that kept her in.

"…I'm so sorry…my dear fallen angel…" Andromeda whispered, reaching out to touch her hand to the glass over Seraphina's, before collapsing slowly to the ground and leaving streaks of blood along the glass. "…I…tried to save you…"

Lips parting on a silent scream, Seraphina could only watch in horror as Hojo left the room, muttering about needing to go replace a perfectly good assistant, leaving Andromeda there to bleed out onto the floor. Unable to get out to help her, she was left to watch in utter horror as the woman died, closing her eyes on the scene only when that life had ended.

The darkness that closed in on her was welcome this time - not even the nightmarish remembrances of her tortures frightened her now, embracing them as the lesser evil when compared to witnessing Andromeda's death. It was the sound of a voice that woke her.

"…There you go, just sit tight, you two, while I go get Seraphina." Opening her eyes slowly, she blinked a few times as Zack walked towards the capsule, only to stop as he saw the dead woman, and the panel that Hojo had not reset. A shake of his head, simply hitting the "enter" key, which allowed the capsule to drain, then open, so Seraphina could step out. "WHOA you have no CLOTHES!!"

"…you only now notice this…" A shake of her head at the man's mild to moderate ditzy tendencies, crouching down to slide the bloodstained lab coat from her dead friend, putting it on and doing up all of the buttons so it became a makeshift dress.

"Are you…sure you want to wear that? There are clean ones somewhere in here, I bet. I'll go find-" As she started to walk towards the side of the room, he blinked, watching as she pulled her old clothes from a locker labeled "Andromeda", and put them on, as well as a pair of flats that rested on the very bottom of the locker. "…what the hell?"

"…she was going to help me escape." Seraphina answered quietly, leaving him to blink in shock when, although fully dressed, she did not remove the lab coat. "…the shirt is pretty torn up from Sephiroth's attack."

"Oh. Right." Zack merely moved to pick Cloud and Sanura up again, nodding to her as she followed after him, showing no sign of any trouble with having been sedated, as Cloud and Sanura had. The idea puzzled him slightly, but he shook it off as they made their way out of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you coming?" Zack questioned, glancing down to the two sisters. While Sanura had awakened, she was cuddling into Angeal, eyes closed tight as though to block out the realization that he was dying. Cloud was still basically out of it, slumped on the wooden chair on which Zack had placed him, but Seraphina was still standing, staring in the direction in which Zack was soon to travel.

Blinking as though surprised he had spoken, Seraphina turned to face him, shaking her head slowly. Since those last few words back in ShinRa Mansion, she had said nothing, functioning as though on autopilot. He simply watched as she dropped to sit down, an android put into standby mode would have seemed more lifelike than the girl he saw before him.

"…right, then. I'll be back in a little bit." He told them cheerfully, before heading off alone. Seraphina merely gazed after him, before closing her eyes and falling onto her side in the grass, hugging the bloodstained lab coat to her as a child would her deceased mother's clothing. She lay there like that for hours, tears beginning to slide down her face as she remembered the past four years of the woman's kindness.

True, she had been part of the group that had tortured her so, sending her screams echoing through the basement halls, but Andromeda had also stayed behind when the others went back to studying the test results, reading aloud to her from various books that the woman so adored to read, telling her about her college days, and what it was like when she had first started working at ShinRa.

"_I know, it's crazy of me, talking to you when you can't answer back…" Andromeda's voice slipped into the agonized darkness, bringing light and warmth. Eyes opened to see the woman sitting with her back to her, a mug of hot liquid held between her hands. "But I just…can't help but think you can hear me, you know?"_

_She wanted so much to be able to answer, to be able to reach out to the woman who, while acting so carefree and young at times - giggling as she told her about her first date, or her first attempt at making a cake - was almost old enough to be her mother. In some ways, the woman had become a mother for her._

"_It's hard sometimes…there are nights when I wake up screaming, because of what I've let them do to you…what I've helped them do to you. For all I know, you're very important to someone…and they're probably going mad with worry for you…" A sigh, the cup beginning to tremble slightly in her hands as tears welled up in her eyes. "…I know how it is, being in that position…you see…I made the mistake of falling in love, once…not too long ago…"_

_Seraphina's hand lifted to the glass of her capsule as she heard the pain in the woman's voice, her other hand reaching up for the pendant that none of them had managed to remove - mostly due to the woman sitting before her, who had noticed that it flickered in time with her heartbeat. She wanted so much to be able to go to her, to comfort her…_

"_I'm sure you've fallen in love…at least once…well, this was the first time for me…and it was so perfect…he brought me flowers, took me out to eat, sat in the park and read to me under a tree… But he was part of ShinRa, too…and they decided he would be a likely candidate for SOLDIER." The way she spat the word, so upset and full of distaste, made Seraphina wince. "…they didn't do quite so many things to those candidates as they've done to you…only a small fraction, really…but even that is too much… In the end, it killed him. He died of mako poisoning…and I…"_

_Andromeda shook her head slightly, tears falling from her eyes. Her trembling made the drink splash over the edge of the cup and onto her hands, jerking her back to reality. As though ashamed of herself, the woman laughed, getting to her feet and setting the cup down before cleaning up the small mess she had made._

"_Listen to me, babbling on like this about such terrible things…especially with you in the situation you're in…I know! I'll go get one of my books. That will brighten the mood up a bit for us both, won't it, Fallen Angel?"_

_As the woman had stood, Seraphina had dropped back into her usual position, arms limp at her sides, head bowed, eyes closed. When the words of the story began, she started to drift back into sleep, a sleep untroubled, for the time being, by nightmares._

"Here we go…" The voice had her eyes snapping open, slowly turning her head to see Zack setting Genesis on the side of Cloud's chair nearest to her. Her hand lifted as though it weighed an enormous amount, moving slowly to grasp Genesis's hand, clenching momentarily, before the world went black for a time.

"Angeal, no…" The pleading whimper drew her back from the darkness, eyes opening to see Angeal dying, fading away into the life stream. Her sister, after that single plea, collapsed back into the grass, eyes open but without real life behind them, catatonic from the permanent loss of the man she loved so dearly. When Zack hefted Cloud back over his shoulder, he glanced from one twin to the other, frowning slightly.

"…I can take you both with me…it'd probably be safer that way." His voice was quiet, not wishing to upset them further, but still needing to speak. The only reaction came from Seraphina, who slowly shook her head, before collapsing back into the darkness that was so eager to hold her.

As Zack walked away, Genesis reached out to grasp the hand so lightly resting upon his, holding it tightly, until a group of men calling him brother carried him away. The two girls were left, as so often had happened lately, completely alone.

As the wind swept the grass around them, the chair fell over, dividing them yet more effectively from each other.


	14. Chapter 14

"Sir? There are two women below. What should we do?" As Tseng heard the pilot's words in his earpiece, he shot to his feet, glancing quickly to the screen showing what was going on so many miles away from his current location in Midgar.

"Land! Land now!" The short snap in their earpieces made the two men sitting in the passenger seats of the helicopter glance to each other. While the red head merely looked utterly confused, realization dawned in Rude's mind, quickly unbuckling himself the moment the helicopter landed to throw himself out of the hulking beast and towards the two girls.

"SERAPHINA! SANURA!" He yelled, rushing towards them, only to freeze as he saw them lying as though dead. "No…Reno! Check Sanura!"

"Which one is that?!" Though he received no verbal answer, he assumed Sanura was the one Rude was not currently crouching down beside, and quickly rushed to check her pulse. "She's alive!"

"Hurry up, we need to get them out of here!" Rude shouted over the roaring of the helicopter nearby, lifting Seraphina in his arms even as Reno did the same with Sanura. When they had reached the safety of the chopper, Reno relaxed - though Rude seemed more tense than ever.

"Are they alive?!" The panicked voice coming from the line to Midgar snapped both out of their focus on the girls, Reno glancing to Rude, who seemed to be trying to recover his usual calm demeanor.

"Yes." Rude managed, voice rough. "They're both alive…but Seraphina's in a bad way…not like before - she seems to be alright as far as her previous problem goes, the crystal on her necklace is still glowing strong, but…"

"But what?! And what about Sanura?!"

"Sanura's fine. She just seems to be in shock." Reno informed him calmly. "I'm sure with time to recover she'll be perfectly okay. Now who the hell are these girls?"

"Shut up, Reno. But WHAT, Rude?!"

"…you'll see."

Tseng collapsed into the chair at the command console, staring blankly at the screen even as the vice president stalked into the room, looking agitated.

"What's going on, Tseng? One of the assistants came to find me and said you'd recalled the second squad before they found the renegades."

"…they didn't find Zack and the others. They found the twins." His voice was quiet, so no others would hear, but the looks on the faces of both men caught the attention of everyone in the room. While Rufus looked shocked and possibly relieved, if only for a second, Tseng's face was tense, one hand clenched on the arm of his chair.

"What's this?" As the old doctor made his way across the room, both men turned to face him, Rufus simply staring blankly while Tseng looked confused.

"What do you want, Hojo?" He questioned, frowning as the man began to rub his hands together delightedly.

"I believe you found two of my runaway experiments!" He cackled gleefully. "Are you bringing them back to Midgar? I have a few more experiments to make on the dual-toned eyed one. Unfortunately the other is useless except for observatory purposes, but-"

"If you so much as-" Tseng began, venom in his voice and a promise of death in his eyes, only to be cut off when Rufus raised one hand, silencing him.

"Does this mean you have had both girls recently?" He questioned quietly, no emotion in his face or voice, merely watching the doctor as he seemed confused.

"Why, yes. They were in the labs of ShinRa Mansion for the past four years."

"…how could you have possibly missed the fact that ShinRa has been searching for those two girls for over four years?" Still deadly quiet, Rufus simply glared at the man. "Keeping information from the company, Dr. Hojo? That hardly looks good for you, in light of certain matters…"

"Wh-what? What do you mean? Those two have been experiments since the day they were born! If one of my stupid underlings had not prevented me from nearing them until they were released from the capsules they were in for thirty years-"

"You're only digging deeper, Hojo." Rufus's tone was getting quieter by the minute, Tseng staring in shock at this fact. While others would have assumed the growing anger came from a betrayal to ShinRa, Tseng realized that Seraphina was the real cause. "…these girls are not to be experimented on. Neither one of them. You will keep them in capsules under observation, no more than that. You've lost the right to experiment on them, as you did not notify us of your finding them."

"But-"

"…get out of my sight." As opposed to waiting for him to do so, Rufus headed for the helipad at the top of the building, Tseng following closely behind him.

"They'll be here soon." He promised quietly, only to blink as Rufus growled at him. "They're near the building now, sir."

"…they're almost here?" Gaze snapping back to his subordinate, he blinked a moment, then burst into a run for the elevator, Tseng close behind him. As the doors opened onto the roof, they were welcomed by the sight of Reno and Rude carrying the two women, Reno looking merely confused, while Rude's face was grave. Rufus stepped forward, and Rude, recognizing his intent, released Seraphina into his arms without protest. "…Andromeda?"

"…I can only assume it was the name of one of Hojo's assistants…considering Sera's disdain for guns, I highly doubt she was the one who pulled the trigger…but it's certain the woman is dead, from the amount of blood on this coat…"

"…What did you mean when you told me I'd see, Rude?" Tseng's voice was quiet as they followed Rufus to the lab, the assistants scattering like cockroaches when the lights are turned on, as Rufus ordered them all out of the lab until further notice.

"…set her down for a moment, sir." Rude said softly. When Rufus did so, Rude closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened the lab coat. "…when I was checking for wounds, afraid the bullet had hit her and not this Andromeda person…I found…"

"…what…how…? How did this happen to her?" Tseng questioned, as Rude had opened the dress shirt she wore to reveal the numerous scars all over her body. Rufus began to tremble, hand reaching out to touch the largest scar on her abdomen - a clean line that must have gone clear through her stomach. It was smaller than a normally healed scar would have been, and she likely would have died from it very rapidly, which left him confused.

"…I believe this occurred when Sephiroth attacked Nibelheim, sir." Rude whispered. "It looks like someone began to Heal her, but was distracted before it was complete…I'm guessing that someone was Sephiroth, in his last moment of sanity…but the others…"

"…Hojo." Rufus snarled, beginning to button Seraphina's shirt back up. As he attempted to remove the lab coat, all of the men were shocked to see her eyes snap open, terrified, as her hand reached up to grasp his wrist.

"…no…Please…don't take it away…it's all I have left…" The whimper left the men staring, and as Rufus slowly let go of the lab coat, she relaxed, falling back to her previous state.

"…she needs to be protected…" Rufus whispered, carefully lifting her into his arms and carrying her to an adjacent room, placing her within the single capsule within it. "…and she needs time to recover from everything that's happened."

"We'll have to keep the capsules linked to closed systems." Tseng told him quietly. "She and Sanura can link into the system, and use it to unlock the capsules…Sir…we'd have to keep them both essentially prisoner…"

"…Just for a short time." Rufus promised him, even as he closed the capsule and allowed it to fill with pure mako, one hand touching the glass as he watched the pain fade from Seraphina's face. "…a few weeks, at most."

"…very well. Reno, take Sanura into the room beside this one…Rude, go with him. I'll follow as soon as I finish closing the system, to do the same for that room."

"Yes, sir." The men murmured, leaving the room. In the days that followed, every spare moment they had, the men spent visiting the twins. Rufus spent much of his time sitting with his back against Seraphina's capsule, while Tseng and Rude visited both girls equally, and Reno occasionally snuck into Sanura's chamber to sit and talk to her, cracking jokes and telling stories.

The two were never really alone, except in that neither sister could reach the other through their system link, leaving them alone in that most essential manner for them both.

They did not have each other.

* * *

Author's Note: And so ends Part One of Chaos Cursed. Part Two is in the works, and will be posted very soon. (some chapters are completed already, and will be going up with these chapters. Yippee. Be sure to review - writers do need love, yanno!


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